SOLE COLLECTOR: Sneakers

Jordan XVII

He’s back. Again. MJ returned to the game of basketball to play for the Washington Wizards. Wilson Smith III was back for the XVII as well, fresh from his success with the XVI. Smith had proven himself with the XVI, and now it was time to open his wings and expand on the foundation he had laid.

Inspiration for the design was drawn from three things close to Michael Jordan. The first was the Aston Martin – a car that held the speed and power elements that were always a part of Jordan’s game. Next came the smoothness of a jazz solo. It was well-known that Michael is a jazz fan, and this element showcased the elegance that Michael demonstrated on and off the court. The third area of inspiration for the Air Jordan XVII was the history of the Jordan line being innovative and bringing style to the table. Innovation and style are synonymous with Jordan Brand, and excellence is something they strive for in every model, much like the way Jordan played the game.

In this model, the lace cover was back again. After first using it on the XVI, Smith brought the concept back for the XVII. This time, however, it was smaller and really only covered the actual lacing of the shoe. On the outer sides of the laces, there was a fastening system, which allowed the lace cover to stay in place during play, where with the XVI, it was more for an off-court look due to its ease in falling off.

Even with all of the innovations in the design of the shoe itself, those things may not have even been the most talked about aspects of this model. Something else that stood out with the XVII was the box. A metal case accompanied the Air Jordan XVII. This had only been done one other time before, with the release of a very limited Jordan I a year earlier. The color of the XVII case coordinated with the release of the shoe: a red case with the White/Varsity Red/Charcoal colorway; a silver case with the White/College Blue/Black colorway; and a black case with the Black/Metallic Silver colorway. Inside the case was a CD-ROM that depicted the production of the XVII and other Jordan Brand videos. With all of these additional elements, that brings us to what may have been the biggest talking point when it came to the XVII: the price. The XVIIs retailed at $200, and many doubted whether or not this shoe would sell at that price point. Surprisingly, and as a true testament to the brand and its loyal fans, the shoe did sell.

Having Jordan back on the court and wearing the shoes certainly aided those sales. The usual suspects at this time were also wearing the XVII, among them Ray Allen, then with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Mike Bibby, who had joined the Sacramento Kings. Along with them, the shoes were also worn by Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles of the Los Angeles Clippers, who both appeared in the TV commercials for the Air Jordan XVII.

Since Michael played in the XVII, the legacy of that shoe will certainly be stronger than some models that he never did wear. The shoes and the case were well-received and are still talked about. Jordan Brand was testing the waters with the cases and lace covers, and they showed that they were onto something. The innovation and functionality that they strived for with the XVII would continue on with the following models. But, in the end, it is ultimately about how the shoe performs on the basketball court, and the XVII did just that.